Cops: Guns taken from cars in Gwinnett, 26 break-ins reported in a day

More than two dozen cars were broken into and three guns were stolen in Duluth on Sunday, police said.

The Duluth Police Department posted on NextDoor about “a rash of car break-ins” that occurred across three subdivisions. Thirteen break-ins were reported at the Norman Downes subdivision, nine were reported at the Peachtree Walk subdivision and four were reported at the Carriage Gate subdivision, the post says. Guns were stolen in three of those break-ins.

Most of the cars were unlocked, and those that weren’t had valuables in plain sight, said Master Patrol Officer Ted Sadowski, who wrote the post on behalf of the department.

Sadowski urged Duluth residents to lock their doors and keep valuables out of sight. Between 90 and 95 percent of car break-ins happen when cars are left unlocked, Sadowski said.

“It only takes a split second to check a door handle and when it’s unlocked, only a few seconds to take the items and run,” Sadowski said. “So, to have an officer catch them in the act, will be by pure luck.”